Multi-position door and hinge

ABSTRACT

A receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device including a receptacle with an opening that utilizes a hinge structure including an inverted U-shaped hinge member having legs which straddle the receptacle and are pivotally mounted to the respective sides of the receptacle in the vicinity of the receptacle opening. A cooperating door hinge member encircles the central portion of the inverted U-shaped hinge member and is fastened to an edge of the receptacle door to permit the door to be rotated relative to the receptacle and the inverted U-shaped hinge member. Alternatively, the U-shaped member may be pivoted so that its legs move away from a pair of stops, one of which is situated on each side of the receptacle to limit its forward movement, thus enabling the door to be moved to a position above the receptacle in which its inner surface will face the outer, upper surface of the receptacle.

United States Patent 11 1 Miller 1 June 17, 1975 MULTl-POSITION DOOR AND HINGE [75] Inventor: Matthew N. Miller, Woodland Hills,

Calif.

[73] Assignee: Fail-child Industries, Inc.,

Germantown, Md.

22 Filed: Jan. 18,1974

[2]] Appl. No.: 434,380

[52] US. Cl 220/332; 220/331 [51] Int. Cl B65d 43/14; 865d 51/04 [58] Field of Search 220/32, 34, 31 R, 38, 329,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,490,642 1/1970 Friedlander 220/38 3,672,529 6/1972 Feddersen et al. 220/34 X Primary Examiner-George T. Hall Attorney, Agent, or FirmMichael W. York [57] ABSTRACT A receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device including a receptacle with an opening that utilizes a hinge structure including an inverted U-shaped hinge member having legs which straddle the receptacle and are pivotally mounted to the respective sides of the receptacle in the vicinity of the receptacle opening. A cooperating door hinge member encircles the central portion of the inverted U-shaped hinge member and is fastened to an edge of the receptacle door to permit the door to be rotated relative to the receptacle and the inverted U-shaped hinge member. Alternatively, the U-shaped member may be pivoted so that its legs move away from a pair of stops, one of which is situated on each side of the receptacle to limit its forward movement, thus enabling the door to be moved to a position above the receptacle in which its inner surface will face the outer, upper surface of the receptacle.

8 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures MULTI-POSITION DOOR AND HINGE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Food service equipment such as the equipment used in galleys and serving carts of the type used in present day passenger aircraft, as well as other types of passenger vehicles, contain a plurality of receptacles in which food or beverages may be stored, heated or cooled. Obviously, these receptacles must be provided with doors in order to gain access to the contents of the receptacles. In the past, problems associated with the use of these doors have frequently occurred because of the proximity of these receptacles and the interference, caused either by other equipment or the doors themselves with one another when more than one adjacent door must be opened. These difficulties become even more aggravated when a number of such receptacles are necessary to accommodate the substantial number of persons that must be served on board the newer and larger transport aircraft which, despite their impressive size, must nevertheless reserve only a limited area for this purpose. As a consequence; there is always concern with space conservation which is a primary factor in aircraft design for reasons which are obvious. Accordingly, this equipment is often situated in such proximity as to give rise to the difficulties alluded to above. When such conditions exist, it is often extremely difficult for the cabin attendants to work in the same area even though circumstances otherwise suggest this course, because adjacent receptacle doors cannot be fully opened without interfering with one another.

In addition, these difficulties become more prominent when the receptacles are in fact heated or cooled compartments as might be the case in galley ovens or refrigerators when the inner surfaces of the doors have been exposed to elevated or reduced temperatures within the particular receptacle. It is understandable that these surfaces can become a source of extreme discomfort and even danger to the cabin attendants when they are exposed as in conventional receptacles when the doors of these receptacles are opened.

It is highly desirable to provide a receptacle door that may be operated in a conventional manner since such door opening arrangements provide a measure of convenience when the door is to be momentarily opened, as may be necessary to check on the presence of the contents or condition of the contents as in the case of an oven or the like. However, it is also desirable to provide means whereby the door can be opened and maintained in its open position without having the interior surface that could be hot or cold, exposed or accessible to contact by the cabin attendant, when the contents are being put into place or removed. Moreover, it is also of primary importance to provide such a dual capability within the constraints imposed by the severe space limitations available for such equipment so that the spacing required by the receptacles equipped with the present invention can be minimal.

The multi-position door and hinge of the present invention also provides a number of alternative operating modes which provide added flexibility and enable receptacles that are equipped with the invention to be arranged in a variety of different ways.

A variety of receptacle doors are shown in the prior art. Several of these are disclosed in US. Pat. Nos. 2,112,45l, l,689,782 and 676,354. Although these patents disclose lids or covers which are movable to an open position to provide access to the receptacle interior, none of these prior art doors have a dual opening mode in which the door can be opened in a conventional manner and in a manner which will permit the interior surface to be unexposed when it is moved to and maintained in an open position.

The multi-position door and hinge arrangement of the present invention provides all of these features and overcomes the problems and difficulties associated with prior art equipment, thereby permitting better utilization of receptacles and compartments in such equipment situated in confined areas and contributing substantially to the safety and ability of cabin attendants to provide more efficient food and beverage service to the passengers, than was heretofore possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to receptacles with multiposition doors and more particularly to receptacles with multi-position doors and hinges which will permit opening of the door in a variety of ways and in such a manner as to permit the door to be removed entirely from the receptacle opening and maintained in that position to fully expose the opening to the receptacle and provide the greatest possible access to the interior.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a receptacle and multi-position door and hinge arrangement which will enable the interior door surface to be placed in an unexposed open position when desired so that in the event that it has been exposed to elevated or reduced temperatures within the receptacle, it will not constitute a source of discomfort or a potential hazard to personnel inserting or removing or otherwise attending to the receptacle contents.

It is another object of the invention to provide a receptacle with a door which can be completely removed from the opening to an open position where it can be readily maintained without interfering with the opening of doors on adjacently situated receptacles.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a receptacle door and associated hinge that are particularly suited for use with heated or refrigerated recepta cles and capable of momentary opening to facilitate visual checking of the receptacle contents and thereby contribute to the preservation of the receptacle interior temperature.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a receptacle door and associated hinge that are suitable for use with heated or refrigerated receptacles that can be opened in such a fashion as to reduce the danger of accidental touching of a hot or cold door surface by attendant personnel, while at the same time making use of residual heat or cold of a surface of the opened door as a hot or cold plate.

The present invention provides a receptacle and a multi-position door and hinge device for an opening in the receptacle, including a door disposed on the receptacle and adapted to cover the opening and hinge means operatively connecting the door and the receptacle so that the door can be moved to expose the opening. The hinge means includes two substantially parallel legs depending from the opposite extremities of a connecting member and which are adapted to straddle the receptacle in the area adjacent the opening therein. Each of the depending legs is pivotally mounted near their furthermost extremities to the walls of the receptacle. A hinge member is situated at a peripheral edge of the door and is adapted to surround the connecting member so that the door is rotatable about the connecting member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a typical receptacle equipped with the multi-position door and hinge device of the present invention in the closed position, as well as in a dotted line position;

FIG. 1A is a diagrammatic side evaluation of the receptacle and multi-position door and hinge device illustrated in FIG. 1 but with the door and hinge device in an alternative open position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of a typical receptacle equipped with the multi-position door and hinge device illustrated in FIG. I but with the door and binge device shown in an alternate fully open position;

FIG. 2A is a diagrammatic side elevation of the multiposition door and hinge device illustrated in FIG. 1 but with the door and hinge device shown in an alternative open position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a typical receptacle equipped with the multi-position door and hinge device illustrated in FIG. 1 but with the door and hinge device shown in an alternative open position;

FIG. 3A is a diagrammatic side elevation of the multiposition door and hinge device illustrated in FIG. 1 but with the door and hinge device shown in an alternative open position;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view partially broken away and showing the rnulti-position door and hinge device illustrated in FIG. 1 with the door and hinge device shown in an open position; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the area designated by the circle 5 in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the figures in the drawings, a typical receptacle of the type used in galley equipment and in the serving carts often used to provide food and beverage service to passengers on aircraft and other vehicles is illustrated and generally designated by the reference numeral 10. The receptacle may in fact be an oven or refrigerated compartment used in the preparation or storage of food that is to be dispensed to the passengers and crew members aboard the aircraft or vehicle by cabin attendants. Oftentimes, a large number of these receptacles are necessary to provide food service adequate to accommodate the substantial numbers of people now patronizing larger modern aircraft. However, because of the space allotted to this equipment aboard these aircraft as well as other vehicles, the receptacles as well as most other equipment on board must, out of a primary concern with space and its utilization, be situated in proximity to one another so that frequently the opening of the access door to one receptacle will interfere with the opening of another adjacently situated. As a consequence, the activities of the cabin attendants as well as their efficiency is prejudiced, particularly when more than one attendant is working in the same area, because of the conscious effort required to avoid such interference during the normal course of their duties. The present invention has the ability to alleviate these difficulties and improve the quality and efficiency of the service that can be rendered by the cabin attendants.

If reference is made to the drawing, it will be observed that the multi-position door and hinge device which forms part of the present invention is generally designated by the reference numeral 13 and is capable of being operated in several different modes so that receptacles so equipped may be installed in a variety of configurations and yet avoid the problems and improve the flexibility and efficiency as heretofore discussed. The receptacles I0, although shown in the present embodiment as a rectangularly shaped structure, may in fact be of any suitable shape. However, in each instance it is contemplated that the particular receptacle will be provided with an access door 14 of a suitable configuration that is adapted to close the opening to the receptacle interior. In some instances it will be desirable to provide a gasket 16 on the door to enable an adequate seal to be developed between the inner surface 14a of the door 14 and the peripheral edge of the receptacle opening 15.

The unique door and binge arrangement of the present invention utilizes an inverted substantially U- shaped hinge member generally designated 17, which may be readily formed from a rod or wire stock. This member consists essentially of two spaced and substantially parallel depending legs 18 and 19 situated at opposite ends of a connecting member 20. The depending legs extend downwardly from the connecting member 20 on each side of the receptacle to effectively straddle the receptacle structure in the vicinity of the opening I5, as best shown in FIG. 4.

The lowermost extremities of each of the depending legs 18 and 19 are each provided with a flattened, enlarged end 21 which accommodates the shoulder screws 22, one of which passes through a suitable aperture (not shown) in each leg and threadably engages the receptacle housing as best seen in FIG. 5, to provide a pivot for the U-shaped member on the receptacle. A spacer 22a is also provided between the receptacle wall and the enlarged end 21 of each depending leg and fits around the screw 22.

A pair of pivot stops 23 are fixedly mounted, one on each side of the receptacle, and serve to limit the forward travel of the pivoted hinge member 17, as well as to assure the alignment and seating of the door 14 in the receptacle opening 15. The pivot stops have resilient surfaces so that when they cooperate with the legs 18 and 19, the surfaces may be compressed somewhat and thereby exert a force against the legs, tending to press the door closed to furnish a tight seal between the inner surface 14a of the door 14 and the peripheral edge or gasket 16 surrounding the receptacle opening in a manner which will become more apparent as we progress. The door 14 is provided with a hinge member 24 mounted along its upper edge, which surrounds and cooperates with the aforementioned connecting member 20 which extends across the top of the receptacle and connects the depending legs 18 and 19 together, forming the previously described inverted U-shaped hinge member 17.

A door latching handle 25 and latching member 26 of any well known configuration may also be provided on the door and the receptacle respectively and typical latching members are best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3 of the drawing. These latching members will facilitate the opening, closing, and latching of the door 14 with respect to the receptacle opening, in a well known fashion.

The multi-position door and hinge device of the present invention may be operated in the following manner. In the event that the cabin attendant wishes merely to check or otherwise observe the condition of the recepacle contents, as for example the progress of the cooking if the receptacle were an oven or the condition y of the refrigeration if a refrigerated compartment, he or she may actuate the latching handle 25 to disengage it from the latching member 26 on the receptacle and lift the door to the dotted position in FIG. 1. When this is done, the hinge member 24 fastened at the peripheral edge of the door rotates about the connecting member of the inverted U-shaped hinge member 17, which is permitted to remain in a relatively stationary position (against the stop 23) with respect to the receptacle upon which it is pivotally mounted. In this manner, the door may be briefly opened and quickly closed to permit viewing of the interior of the receptacle and its contents without permitting the receptacle interior temperature to be unduly altered, by minimizing the time during which the receptacle temperature can be dissipated through the open door, thereby imposing less of a demand upon the heating or cooling apparatus that may be associated with the particular receptacle to maintain the desired temperature.

It should be noted that if desired, the door 14 can be opened to the intermediate position between the dotted line position in FIG. 1 and the FIG. 2 position, as illustrated in H6. 1A, or as would be obvious, to any position therebetween. If the particular receptacle installation upon which the present invention is used provides space, the door 14 can be fully rotated to the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. In these figures it will be noted that the position of the inverted U-shaped hinge member has been slightly altered so that the legs 18 and 19 are no longer resting against their respective stops 23. This is necessary to compensate for the location of the hinge member 24 on a peripheral edge of the door as best seen in FIG. 2 and permits the hinge members 20 and 24 to cooperate in the manner of a conventional hinge. As a consequence, the door can be rotated to the full open position so that its outer surface rests against the upper surface of the receptacle.

The alternative position shown in FIG. 2A is also possible with the door and hinge device of the present invention and may be particularly suitable to receptacle installations in which the receptacle may be arranged in step-like fashion with respect to one another. To operate the door and hinge device in this mode from the closed position, the latching members 25 and 26 are disengaged in the normal manner and the door 14 rotated so that the hinge member 24 fixed to the edge of the door 14 rotates about the connecting member 20 of the inverted U-shaped hinge member 17 until it assumes the approximate dotted line position of FIG. 1, whereupon inward movement of the door toward the receptacle as it is being continuously rotated will cause the inverted U-shaped hinge member to pivot away from the stops 23 of the receptacle until such time as the peripheral edge of the door rests against the upper surface of the receptacle structure. The door 14 will then be in a substantially upright position. To close the receptacle door, these procedures would be reversed and the latching members 25 or 26 reengaged to hold the door in the closed position sealing the receptacle opening 15.

It should be understood that operation of the door in the manner just described and illustrated in FIGS. 1, 1A, 2 and 2A would be satisfactory if the receptacle was not an oven or refrigerator so that the exposed interior surface of the door would not constitute a potential hazard or source of discomfort if touched accidentally by an attendant.

However, when the particular receptacle installation is height limited because of adjacently located receptacles or other equipment, or when it is desired to shield the interior surface of the door because of the elevated or reduced temperature of the surface as heretofore discussed, the door can be actuated in the following alternative manner. The latching member 25 on the door 14 is actuated to disengage itself from the cooperating latching member 26 on the receptacle. The door 14 is then partially rotated through the cooperation of the hinge members 20 and 24 in the same manner as was previously described, until the door is in an approximate horizontal position. At this point the inner surface 14a of the door 14 is situated generally in the same plane as the upper surface of the receptacle structure. However, instead of continuing the rotation of the door as previously described, the attendant applies an inward force to the door, moving it toward the receptacle. The inward force applied to the door 14 is transmitted through the cooperating hinge members 24 and 20 to the depending legs 18 and 19, which are caused thereby to rotate about their respective pivots provided by the shoulder screws 22 until such time as the inner surface of the door 14 is in contact with the upper surface of the receptacle. In this position, as shown in FIG. 3, the receptacle opening is fully exposed while the inner surface 14a of the door 14 is unexposed and safely shielded so that the receptacle contents may be removed without the possibility of danger or discomfort to attendant personnel.

With the door and hinge device of the present arrangement, it is also possible to operate the door to the open position shown in FIG. 3A. In this open position it will be noted that the interior surface 14a of the door 14 remains exposed, however, because the door is set back from the front of the receptacle, the hazards and dangers associated with the exposed surface are substantially diminished since there is less likelihood that this surface would be accidentally touched. When the door and hinge on a heated or refrigerated receptacle are used in this fashion, the hot or cold inner surface of the door can be utilized as a hot or cold plate so that the contents of the receptacle can be placed on this surface and the residual heat or cold can be useful to retard cooling or heating of the objects placed upon it.

Operation of the door in this fashion is substantially the same as the operation previously described with respect to the position shown in FIG. 3, except that the inward force on the door is applied in combination with a continuing rotating movement of the door relative to the U-shaped member 17 until the door comes to rest upon the upper surface of the receptacle as shown in FIG. 3A with its former interior surface 14a exposed and set back from the receptacle opening 15.

Closure of the receptacle is readily accomplished by reversing these procedures to restore the door to the closed position from the open positions shown in both FIG. 3 and FIG. 3A. Accordingly, the latching member 25 may be grasped and the door pulled outwardly in the direction away from the receptacle pulling the depending legs 18 and 19 of the hinge member 17 to restore them to their position against the stops 23 while rotating the door 14 by the cooperation of the hinge members and 24 until the latching members 25 and 26 can be reengaged. The resiliency of the surfaces of the pivot stops 23 enable them to be compressed slightly when the latching members 25 and 26 are engaged, so that the resilient surfaces act against the depending legs 18 and 19 of the U-shaped hinge member 17, and will exert a positive closing force through these legs to the upper part of the door 14. thereby aiding in producing a good seal between the door and the receptacle opening when the door is in the closed position.

When the latching members 25 and 26 are disengaged, a slight displacement of the U-shaped hinge member will take place as a result of the compressed resiliency of the pivot stop surfaces acting against the depending legs of the U-shaped member 17. This will cause the door to move away from the receptacle opening a slight amount and provide a visual indication to the attendant that the latching members have not been engaged.

An underlying advantage of this invention can be found in the fact that each of the receptacle doors may be safely left in the open position as a clear indication to the cabin attendants that its contents have been removed. Moreover, it is a simple matter to equip each receptacle with a suitable control such as a micro switch (not shown) which can be activated by the receptacle door when it occupies its fully open position as in FIGS. 1A, 2, 2A, 3 and 3A. Such a device could function in cooperation with other components to shut down the supply of heat or refrigeration to the receptacle after the door has been fully opened.

Although the invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that variations and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device comprising a receptacle having an opening to permit access to the interior thereof, a door adapted to cover the opening of said receptacle, and means operatively connected to said receptacle and to said door for permitting said door to be selectively rotated and displaced to expose the receptacle opening and for permitting the inner or the outer surfaces of said door to alternatively contact an outer surface of said receptacle when the opening of said receptacle is uncovered.

2. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 1 wherein the outer surface of said receptacle which the inner or outer surface of the door is permitted to contact is located adjacent the opening of said receptacle.

3. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 2 wherein the opening of said re ceptacle is located in the side of said receptacle.

4. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 3 wherein the outer surface of the receptacle which the inner or outer surface of the door is permitted to contact is located on the top portion of said receptacle.

5. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 1 wherein said means for permitting the door to be selectively rotated and displaced comprises a first elongated member having one end portion thereof pivotally connected to said receptacle at a location in the vicinity of one side of the receptacle opening, a second elongated member having one end portion thereof pivotally connected to said receptacle at a location in the vicinity of the opposite side of the receptacle opening and means for rotatably connecting said door to the other end portions of said elongated members.

6. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 5 wherein said means for rotatably connecting said door to the other end portions of said elongated members comprises a third elongated member interconnecting the other end portions of said elongated members and means connecting said door and said third elongated member for permitting said door to rotate about said third elongated member.

7. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 5 further comprising means connected to said receptacle for contacting said first and second elongated members for limiting forward movement of said first and second elongated members.

8. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 7 wherein said contacting means has resilient means for exerting a force upon said first and second elongated members which is compressed by said first and second elongated members when said door is in the closed position. 

1. A receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device comprising a receptacle having an opening to permit access to the interior thereof, a door adapted to cover the opening of said receptacle, and means operatively connected to said receptacle and to said door for permitting said door to be selectively rotated and displaced to expose the receptacle opening and for permitting the inner or the outer surfaces of said door to alternatively contact an outer surface of said receptacle when the opening of said receptacle is uncovered.
 2. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 1 wherein the outer surface of said receptacle which the inner or outer surface of the door is permitted to contact is located adjacent the opening of said receptacle.
 3. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 2 wherein the opening of said receptacle is located in the side of said receptacle.
 4. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 3 wherein the outer surface of the receptacle which the inner or outer surface of the door is permitted to contact is located on the top portion of said receptacle.
 5. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 1 wherein said means for permitting the door to be selectively rotated and displaced comprises a first elongated member having one end portion thereof pivotally connected to said receptacle at a location in the vicinity of one side of the receptacle opening, a second elongated member having one end portion thereof pivotally connected to said receptacle at a location in the vicinity of the opposite side of the receptacle opening and means for rotatably connecting said door to the other end portions of said elongated members.
 6. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 5 wherein said means for rotatably connecting said door to the other end portions of said elongated members comprises a third elongated member interconnecting the other end portions of said elongated members and means connecting said door and said third elongated member for permitting said door to rotate about said third elongated member.
 7. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 5 further comprising means connected to said receptacle for contacting said first and second elongated members for limiting forward movement of said first and second elongated members.
 8. The receptacle with a multi-position door and hinge device of claim 7 wherein said contacting means has resilient means for exerting a force upon said first and second elongated members which is compressed by said first and second elongated members when said door is in the closed position. 